


Ritual Participation

by mandykaysfic



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Kissing, Kissing Games, Mistletoe, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-17
Updated: 2014-02-17
Packaged: 2018-01-12 19:49:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1197267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mandykaysfic/pseuds/mandykaysfic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Someone has been hanging mistletoe throughout the ship, and in the most unexpected places. Let us find out what happens. (Challenge - get as many people kissing as possible)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ritual Participation

“Wait up, B'Elanna,” called Tom as he hurried toward the turbolift. He panted slightly as he skidded to a halt beside her. “I thought I was late” he offered just before the doors slid open.

“Well, you're not,” she said as they joined the captain and the first officer inside. 

Tom opened his mouth to come back with a smart rejoinder, but closed it with a snap when he spotted the mistletoe hanging from the roof of the turbolift. He ignored the unspoken lift courtesy that dictated everyone turn to face the door and slowly looked from Janeway to Chakotay and back again. Her hair was unruffled, as usual, but her cheeks were suspiciously flushed. Chakotay's lips shone and Tom knew it wasn't from chap stick or gloss. He grinned delightedly. “Halt turbolift,” he said, even though it remained stationary. 

“Lieutenant Paris.”

“Yes, Captain?” He bent down. “C'mon, it's just a little mistletoe.” He bussed her cheek.

She rose on her toes and with a twist of her head, covered his mouth with her own. Her hands were warm on his face as she held it right where she wanted. She swallowed his indistinct murmur and kissed him soundly. And if she made murmurs of her own as he kissed her in return, nobody heard, for B'Elanna and Chakotay were busy exchanging their own mistletoe kisses.

The turbolift remained right where it was, doors closed for a while longer, as it took some time for them to complete all possible permutations. Chakotay was certainly not averse to going back for seconds with the captain while Tom and B'Elanna locked lips. 

All four ended up a few minutes late for their shift. Tom ran his hand through his hair once more; Chakotay had ruffled it considerably when it was his turn to kiss Tom. His uniform was a little ruffled as well and he straightened his cuffs self-consciously. He stared enviously at Captain Janeway. Even B'Elanna's vigorous kisses hadn't made an impression on her meticulous grooming.

The atmosphere on the Bridge thickened expectantly. There, over the central command chair, hung a sprig of mistletoe. Kathryn Janeway raised her eyes in Chakotay's direction, and with a mischievous smile, extended the back of her hand in his direction. With a courtly bow, he played up to her and delicately pressed his lips to her hand. With her eyes demurely lowered, she curtseyed and allowed him to assist her into her seat. “Back to work, everyone,” she ordered and the atmosphere returned to normal, although the mistletoe received many a glance throughout the shift.

Glances were exchanged between the four who had entered the bridge last when Tuvok, Ayala and Harry Kim entered the turbolift together at the end of the shift. Tom promised the others he'd get the details from Harry of exactly what happened between the three in the turbolift. Chakotay thought he could get Ayala's version of events and Kathryn volunteered Tuvok's, even if she had to order him to tell her. Since the mistletoe was still in the turbolift, they took advantage of it again, and B'Elanna thanked the appropriate deities she'd had to work on the Bridge that morning instead of Engineering.

 

Neelix denied placing the mistletoe directly over the serving station in the Mess Hall. He took great pleasure in holding each dish to ransom, tilting his cheek for payment in pecks before handing over plates of his latest concoction with an enthusiastic Terran-style kiss. Talaxians rubbed noses, he explained. Those few who elected to leave and replicate their meals were loudly booed by the others. 

Tom and Harry entered the Mess Hall just in time to see Tuvok return Neelix's kiss with a full-on one of his own. This time, none of the many raised eyebrows in the room belonged to Tuvok.

“I told you, he said the thirty-nine percent increase in morale that would arise from his participation in this ritual with its mythological basis in -,” began Harry.

“Thirty-nine point seven two,” corrected Tom. “That's what you told me. I'd put it at higher than that myself.”

They joined the queue, waiting patiently and wishing for a holocamera until Tuvok and Neelix finally finished. Nobody begrudged the well-filled plate Neelix handed to Tuvok.

Randolph Biddle took advantage of the mistletoe to kiss and be kissed by Neelix. While his turn didn't last as long as Tuvok's, he wasn't too upset as he'd been fortunate to travel in the mistletoe-bedecked turbolift with the Delaney sisters. They'd been more than accommodating regarding the whole kissing tradition and he'd found himself squashed up against first one pair of soft breasts and then another as the twins practised the art of kissing as a whole body sport. As far as Randolph was concerned, the trip to the Mess Hall was far too short; Jenny and Megan's kissing technique was way beyond anything in his meagre experience. In five short minutes, these young women had provided him with enough fuel to fulfil almost all of his every fantasy for the whole time it would take to get home, especially when they kissed each other. On the mouth. Randolph wasn't sure whether they actually used tongue, but he didn't care too much – he had a very vivid imagination. He wondered how many other people he could ride the turbolift with, although his mind balked at the thought of kissing Captain Janeway or Commander Chakotay, even if it would be only the barest peck on the cheek. He'd simply have to check out the other passengers first.

Samantha Wildman held Naomi up to Neelix. The baby giggled delightedly when he made loud smacking noises with each kiss he dropped on the tip of her nose. She tugged his whiskers and then gave him a drooly kiss of her own to his cheek. 

Samantha apologized and mopped up her daughter's saliva with the handy spit-cloth she carried with her. She gave Neelix a grateful kiss on his newly-cleaned cheek when he handed over a bowl of mashed vegetables he'd prepared for Naomi. She giggled a bit too, at the feel of Neelix's whiskers when he kissed her back.

With a little careful maneuvring, and very little convincing, Harry persuaded Tom that the two of them were actually standing beneath the mistletoe as well as Mariah Henley, so the two of them exchanged kisses while Neelix attended to Mariah. Mariah had a soft spot for Neelix and she made good use of her chance, running the tip of her tongue along his lips and then slipping it delicately between them. He tasted of the spices he'd used that day, so that when she finally sat to eat her meal, the smell and taste of it made her feel as though his lips were on hers once more, and she dallied over eating it until her food finally went cold. As it tasted rather nasty when not piping hot, she ended up eating less than half and found herself feeling very hungry only an hour later.

Meanwhile, Tom and Harry seemed to have forgotten they were in the Mess Hall and were practically devouring one another, totally oblivious to their audience, who were now bombarded with visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads. They'd already kissed one another back in Harry's quarters without the benefit of mistletoe. Harry had insisted on demonstrating Tuvok's kissing technique, as experienced by him in the turbolift. He'd also demonstrated Ayala's kissing technique, as the two were quite different. Their own arousal had been at a low simmer when they'd entered the Mess, so seeing Tuvok do the real thing with Neelix had only turned the heat up. One of Harry's hands roamed the length of Tom's spine, the other clutched a playful of ass and held Tom's groin firmly to his own. Tom clearly had no objections as he ground his lower body back into Harry's, while his own hands were busy enough. They obviously had no intention of stopping any time soon, so the queue behind them flowed on around and Neelix continued to dish up plates of food and kisses with impunity. When eventually they found all the hot food had been eaten and they'd have to make do with salad, Harry and Tom shrugged philosophically and tackled large helpings of greens before heading back to Harry's quarters to replicate pizza.

Neelix anxiously fingered his chapped lips. There was no way they would make it through the evening meal. He went off to Sickbay in search of a quick cure. He wasn't certain how long this celebration would last, but he intended to take every bit of assistance possible to make sure he could continue fully participating. This was by far the best duty he'd had as Morale Officer.

 

 

“Please state the nature of the medical emergency.”

“Oh, I'm sorry, Doctor. I need you to do something for my lips before I can take part in the ritual with you.”

“Ritual? Take part in which ritual with me?”

Neelix indicated the holographic mistletoe that had appeared when the EMH did. It hovered some two feet above his head.

The Doctor gave several terse orders to the computer, but the mistletoe remained, and he ran the scanner over Neelix's lips with very bad grace. 

“You are suffering from grade two friction burns,” he announced. “Use this salve, three times a day for the next week.”

“That won't do, I'm afraid. Can't you just --?” and Neelix mimed running a regenerator over the affected parts. 

“Very well.” The EMH muttered not so quietly about who was the doctor as he healed the burns. “There. Your lips are back to normal.”

“Thank you, Doctor.” Neelix hopped off the biobed. He scuttled to the door, but before he got there, he turned back. “Oops! I almost forgot.” He kissed the startled hologram with his newly regenerated lips, then pointed to the holographic mistletoe that continued to hang in mid-air. “It's a wonderful ritual, isn't it? The best of all the Terran customs I've come across so far.”

The EMH commed Lieutenant Torres, requesting her presence in Sickbay immediately. She burst out laughing at the sight of the sprig of leaves and berries tracking the doctor's every move as he paced the floor of his office. She flatly denied responsibility for the 'parasite' infecting his matrix and refused to remove it for at least a day, claiming she didn't have time. Before she left, she planted a hearty kiss onto his holographic lips. Both of them were surprised when he shut up and kissed her back. 

For the next few hours, Sickbay saw a steady stream of crewmen with a variety of real and imagined hurts, all of whom claimed kisses from the EMH before they left. Apparently there was a shipwide competition going on to see who could collect the most kisses as more mistletoe was discovered in unexpected places. 

 

A week earlier, Tom had programmed a Christmas tree to fill a corner of Sandrine's, but he swore the new additions of mistletoe over the bar and dangling from the light fitting in the center of the room were not his doing. Sandrine didn't mind; she was voluble in her thanks, verbally and physically and she leaned over the bar and gave him a series of extended continental-style kisses before finishing up with a sound smack on his lips. He flushed at the round of applause. Always the showman, he bowed and proceeded to return the sentiment with interest.

Chakotay and Ayala bagged one of the small tables in a corner. Chakotay had remembered he was supposed to get the details of what happened in the turbolift between Tuvok, Kim and Ayala, and over a synthale or three, the pair ended up engaged in a friendly competition of their own.

“Neelix, of course?” Neelix had just tasted the vegetarian surprise after adjusting the seasoning one last time, and he'd tasted so good that Chakotay ended up kissing him a little more thoroughly than he'd planned.

“Twice! I met him in one of the turbolifts,” explained Ayala. “Did you go down to Sickbay?”

“Not yet,” answered Chakotay with a frown. Ayala was actually winning, but Chakotay hadn't brought out his big guns yet.

“You should. Develop a headache or something. It's worth it just to see it bobbing above his head everywhere he goes. What about Tuvok?”

“No.”

“What have you been doing all day? Have you been cooped up in your office or something?”

“Go on. How many times with Tuvok then?” Chakotay couldn't help the sigh that escaped, but he really wanted the details on this one, so he leaned forward in a show of interest that wasn't actually faked.

“Three,” announced Ayala proudly. “I admit I stalked him just a little after the first one. He's hot. He initiated the first kiss in the tubolift. He looked up at the mistletoe and spouted something about human customs, and then he kissed Harry right on the lips. Just a simple touch, you know, but Harry's eyes practically bugged out of his head. He turned to me and said he could see no point in discriminating just because I wasn't a native of Earth, then he did the same to me. Then he stood and raised his eyebrow and we knew he meant us to kiss each other, so we did.”

“Huh.”

“I'm going to try for a fourth before it all disappears. Everyone is of the opinion it'll be gone by tomorrow.”

“You're probably right.” Chakotay immediately thought of a few people he wouldn't mind a repeat, or even a first kiss with.

“So, Janeway for you, yes?” said Ayala, getting back on track. He'd witnessed the hand kissing on the Bridge. “Did you get to...? On the lips?”

“Five times, not counting the hand,” said Chakotay, pride leaching through even though he tried to remain nonchalant.

“Hmmm. How about Paris?”

“Four.” And hadn't that been a bittersweet experience.

“Snap!” Ayala grinned. “He sure can kiss, can't he? Brought back memories of the Crazy Horse.” The two had spent a few nights together during Tom's brief stint in the Maquis. “He says he's not responsible for the mistletoe. Do you believe him?”

“Yeah, I do. It's not his doing.” And there was the mystery. Nobody was taking responsibility for the act that had lightened the mood on Voyager considerably. 

 

They would have had their answer had they been in Janeway's quarters. She and Tuvok were enjoying a quiet drink and their own version of kiss and tell.

Kathryn was positive she detected a blush on Tuvok's cheeks when she finally coerced him into admitting it was he, with a little help from Kes, who had placed the mistletoe around Voyager. Tuvok had handled the programming of the EMH's matrix, Sandrine's and the security cameras, as well as getting the mistletoe onto the Bridge. Kes had tackled the Mess Hall, the various turbolifts, observation lounges and a few of the wilder locations such as Jeffries tube 17. Chell had tracked down Dalby to that location. There was little enough room for Dalby to slap him in there and Chell took full advantage of the fact.

It had been Kes' idea. Not the mistletoe itself to begin with, but the need to do something about the steadily increasing fit of depression that had recently shrouded the crew. She'd craftily presented her arguments in a logical enough manner that Tuvok had been forced to agree with her, and with determination, perseverance and argumentative skills beyond her years, she'd bullied him into participating.

Kathryn raised her glass and toasted the pair of them, and then with an eye to her own tally, whipped a carefully concealed sprig of mistletoe from beneath her sofa cushion and held it over their heads as she kissed him – at least until her arm got tired and she wrapped it around his neck while the mistletoe dropped unnoticed to the floor.

 

END

**Author's Note:**

> Who kissed whom: J/C, J/Tu, J/P, J/T, C/P, C/T, C/N, Tu/K, Tu/N, Tu/Ayala, P/T, P/K, P/Ayala, P/Sandrine, T/Doc, K/Ayala, N/Doc, N/Wildman, N/Naomi, N/Ayala, N/Biddle, N/Henley, Biddle/J.Delaney, Biddle/M.Delaney, J.Delaney/M.Delaney, Chell/Dalby. (And a whole lot more not mentioned in this fic!)


End file.
